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Host a Hub Instance on Microsoft Azure

Cloud hosting gives you the flexibility to add resources to your network without having to install and maintain your own servers. If you prefer not to host your own Hub instance, you can install Hub on a virtual machine that is hosted on Microsoft Azure.

This guide shows you how to configure a virtual machine and install Hub in a Microsoft Azure account. There are a number of different configurations you can use to run Hub in a hosted environment. The setup in this guide uses the following components:

Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter for the virtual machine

Hub MSI distribution for the installation package

If you want to use a different type of virtual machine or installation, you can still follow this guide for general setup guidelines.

Overview

To host a Hub instance in Microsoft Azure, perform the following steps:

Prerequisites

This setup requires that you have an active Microsoft Azure subscription.

The amount of storage that you need to host Hub varies based on the size of your Hub database.

If your subscription does not already include a standalone virtual machine, you will need to create one.

If you don't have a Microsoft Azure subscription, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial. The trial lets you create and try out any combination of Azure resources. For more information, visit the official Microsoft Azure website.

Create a Virtual Machine

To get started, you need to add a virtual machine to your Microsoft Azure subscription. If you already have a virtual machine that has enough free resources to host Hub, skip this procedure and continue with the next step.

This guide shows you one of several options for setting up your Microsoft Azure environment.

To create a virtual machine:

Select an image from the list. You can run Hub on either a Windows or Linux server. This setup uses a Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter.

From the Select a deployment model drop-down list, select Classic.

Click the Create button.

The Create VM wizard opens.

Enter values for the following settings:

Setting

Description

Host Name

Enter a name for the virtual machine. This value is added as a prefix to the DNS name that you use to access the machine remotely. The virtual machine is assigned a unique DNS name that always uses the subdomain .cloudapp.net. If you want to use a custom domain name, configure the custom domain name before you proceed with the next step in this setup.

User name

Enter a name for the user account that is used to manage the virtual machine.

Password

Set the password for the user account that is used to access the virtual machine.

In the Pricing Tier section, choose the size of the virtual machine.

In the Location section, select a location that is closest to you to reduce latency.

Click the Create button.

The virtual machine is created and added to your subscription. Depending on the size of the virtual machine, this can take some time. The status of the virtual machine is shown under the Notifications pane in the toolbar.

Once the setup of your virtual machine is complete, you can proceed with the next step.

Add Endpoints to the Virtual Machine

When you create a new Windows virtual machine, the TCP port 3389 is opened to connect with the Remote Desktop. Linux virtual machines use TCP port 22 to allow an SSH connection. To give external users access to your Hub service, you need to set the entry point for the service in the virtual machine.

To add an endpoint to the virtual machine:

Select the name of your virtual machine in the Microsoft Azure portal.

Click the Settings button in the toolbar.

In the General section, click Endpoints.

Click the Add button in the toolbar.

In the Add endpoint blade, enter values for the following settings:

Setting

Description

Name

Enter a name for the endpoint, for example, Hub.

Protocol

Select TCP.

Public port

Enter 80.

Private port

Enter 80.

Click the OK button.

The virtual machine endport is saved. The status of the virtual machine is shown under the Notifications pane in the toolbar.

Now that you have configured the virtual machine, continue with the next step to configure the firewall.

Open an HTTP port in the Firewall

The image for the virtual machine that is used in this setup includes a pre-configured firewall. If your virtual machine has a firewall enabled, you need to open a port to allow access to Hub over HTTP.

To open a port in the Windows Firewall:

Select the name of your virtual machine in the Microsoft Azure portal.

Click the Connect button in the toolbar.

A Remote Desktop Connection to the virtual machine is downloaded to your local directory.

Open the Remote Desktop Connection with the username and password that you entered when you created the virtual machine.

In the Server Manager, select the Local Server.

In the Properties section, click the link next to the Windows Firewall property.

The Windows Firewall window opens.

Click the Advanced Settings link.

The Windows Firewall with Advanced Security dialog opens.

Right-click Inbound Rules and select the New Rule option.

The New Inbound Rule Wizard opens.

Foll the steps in the wizard to configure the rule as follows:

Step

Option

Rule Type

Select Port.

Protocol and Ports

Select TCP.

In the Specific local ports input field, enter 80.

Action

Select Allow the connection.

Profile

Apply the rule to all firewall modes.

Name

Enter a name, for example, Allow Hub. Enter an optional description.

When done, click the Finish button.

The firewall rule is enabled.

Alternatively, you can open Windows PowerShell and enter the following command:

The Windows virtual machine includes Internet Explorer as the default browser, however, the browser is configured to use the enhanced security configuration. This configuration does not trust any web sites and disables downloads. Before you continue with the installation:

Disable Internet Explorer Enhanced Security. or

Download and install a different web browser. If you install a different browser, set it as the default browser for your operating system.